In response to the first general meeting at the beginning of February, the board of Safe Sport e.V. draws a positive balance. Since the official opening of the Independent Point of Contact by Nancy Faeser on 11 July 2023 in Berlin, a lot has been invested in the development work. “The aim was and is in particular to make the support services known to as many sports clubs and associations as possible so that they reach the people who potentially need our help,” explains Prof. Dr Ilse Hartmann-Tews, spokesperson for the Executive Board. Together with Gitta Schwarz from the Equestrian Association’s Council of Affected People and former top athlete and coach Steffi Jones, she is a volunteer on the association’s board.
on the board of the association.
Significant need for support in cases of violence in sport
“After a good six months, we can say that our counselling centre has been well received. This is both pleasing and upsetting, as the enquiries are based on the fates of many individual victims – especially as there are usually several victims suffering from one perpetrator,” comments Ina Lambert, Managing Director of Safe Sport e.V. Around half of those seeking advice in 2023 were people who had been affected by violence in sport themselves or had been in the past. The people seeking advice came from all over Germany. Around two thirds of the reported incidents related to violence in popular sport and around one third to elite sport. The
The range of sports in which those seeking advice had experienced or observed violence was as diverse as the sports offered by the clubs. The reported forms of violence experienced were psychological violence (in 83% of cases) and sexualised violence (in 43%) – sometimes also in digital form (in 19% of cases), as well as physical violence (in 13%). In many cases, several forms of violence occur simultaneously and in two thirds of cases, incidents of violence occur more than once. “The majority of those affected in the counselling sessions were children and young people up to the age of 18, which is in line with the research findings on the topic of violence in sport,” explains Hartmann-Tews. In around half of the cases, the Independent Contact Point was the first source of help that those seeking advice turned to. Around a third sought support in advance from bodies within organised sport, e.g. prevention officers, state sports associations or club boards.
What can you do if you are affected?
People looking for advice can contact the Independent Contact Point in the following ways:
-Telephone via the hotline 0800 11 222 000 (Mon, Wed, Fri 10am-12pm, Thu 3pm-5pm
and by appointment)
Online: https://safe-sport.not-a-problem.de/
A message can be written around the clock using the data-secure counselling software.
The online counselling service offers email, chat and video counselling via the browser and the Safe Sport app.
On-site in Berlin: appointments by arrangement.
“In all cases, we ensure that those seeking advice can remain anonymous. Our counselling is victim-centred, which means that the focus is on the person seeking advice,” explains Ina Lambert. Many people are initially unsure whether what they have experienced is really violence. “We therefore listen first and try to encourage the person seeking advice and provide an external assessment.” If necessary, targeted referrals are made to other agencies such as regional specialist counselling centres or state sports associations.
“In all cases, we ensure that those seeking advice can remain anonymous. Our counselling is victim-centred, which means that the focus is on the person seeking advice,” explains Ina Lambert. Many people are initially unsure whether what they have experienced is really violence. “We therefore listen first and try to encourage the person seeking advice and provide an external assessment.” If necessary, targeted referrals are made to other agencies such as regional specialist counselling centres or state sports associations.
